Letter: Benefit cheats

Unbelievable! You report (29 September) that a woman - aged only 24! - falsely claimed £17,000 in child benefit for 11 children, aged from one to 13.

No-one seems to have noticed anything unusual in this, although her date of birth must have been known to HMRC officials.

How often had she claimed? What records were kept?

Unbelievable? Well, not really; I remember a similar case of a woman claiming for several non-existent child dependants.

She apparently just telephoned the appropriate office each time, and the claim was accepted without verification. It seems inconceivable that production of a birth certificate in each case would not be a basic requirement for qualification, but who knows; maybe that would be an invasion of civil rights nowadays.

What a way to run a country!

Robert Dow

Ormiston Road

Tranent